Imagine losing a beloved family member, only to discover that the multi-million-dollar corporation responsible for their care back-altered their electronic database to manufacture fake entries and cover up their fatal mistakes.

That is exactly what happened to Sissy, a beautiful 15-year-old family companion cat. On June 28, 2026, Sissy suffered fatal medication toxicity because a corporate-owned clinic completely skipped her mandatory safety blood diagnostic panels. But the tragedy didn't stop there. After she passed away, clinic personnel actively back-altered their database management software to retroactively manipulate her files in an attempt to deceive state investigators.

Right now, Florida law allows these conglomerates to operate with zero real accountability.

Under an archaic 200-year-old classification dating back to 1822, companion animals are legally categorized strictly as "person property/chattel" giving a beloved living pet the exact same legal status as a piece of furniture. Because of this outdated loophole, predatory corporate networks face little to no civil or criminal consequences when they manipulate electronic charts or tamper with evidence.

Many pet owners are entirely unaware that their trusted neighborhood veterinary clinics are quietly being bought up by multi-million-dollar corporate conglomerates. Nationally, corporate groups now control roughly 30% to 50% of all general veterinary practices, and a staggering 75% of emergency and specialty animal hospitals.

Here across the state of Florida, corporate networks have aggressively consolidated local care. In Volusia County alone, major conglomerates including Mission Pet Heath (backed by private equity groups like Shore Capital and Silver Lake) operate multiple facilities under original names, family sounding names. By hiding behind these legacy names, these equity-backed giants project a warm, community-oriented image while enforcing high-pressure corporate metrics and strict profit goals behind the scenes.
When an independent, family-owned vet makes a mistake, they take accountability. But when a corporate multi-million-dollar private equity network commits negligence, their corporate defense mechanisms immediately activate. They deploy electronic software to back-date charts, lock down information, and bury the evidence to insulate their bottom line from liability.

We are fighting to pass "Sissy's Law" to modernize Florida Statute Chapter 474 (The Veterinary Medical Practice Act) and protect consumers from corporate fraud. Sissy's Law will force the Florida Legislature to implement three non-negotiable protections.

1 . Elevate Our Pets: Reclassify companion animals from basic property to "Sentient Companion Animals."

2 . Criminalize Chart Forgery: Upgrade electronic medical record tampering (amending Fla. Stat. 474.214 and 474.2165) from minor administrative board issue to a severe criminal offense when used to deceive state investigators or defraud consumers.

3 . Mandatory Software Audit Trails: Require all Florida veterinary corporations to use unalterable medical database software with an immutable digital audit trail. Every text change, time stamp, deletion, and user login must be permanently locked, mirroring the strict HIPPA-compliant data logs used in human hospitals. 

4 . Federal Monopoly Oversite: We will submit this petition and its signatures to federal antitrust regulators at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to expose how private equity consolidation in Volusia County directly compromises consumer rights and animal safety.

Our pets are not furniture. They are sentient members of our families. Your signature today tells Representative Chase Tramont and the Florida Legislature that we demand consumer protection, corporate transparency, and real justice for our animals.

Sign your name to pass Sissy's Law and protect Florida's families.